Photo: Ford
Oh dear. The Year of the Recalls certainly didn’t end on December 31st, 2014. Both American and export automakers called back a lot of vehicles in the first quarter of the current year, and a new recall operation could be announced in the near future.
If you are the owner of a 2008 to 2011 model year Ford Espace or Mercury Mariner compact crossover SUV, we have some bad news. Last year in May, the Blue Oval told the NHTSA and its customers that it will recall 915,216 vehicles for a problem with the steering system’s torque sensor.
You know, that tiny gizmo fitted in the steering column. In the Escape and Mariner’s case, the contraption suffered from a glitch that, in worst case scenarios, could’ve lead to sudden power steering failure. For the more experienced driver, this scenario isn’t a biggie because you’re still left with good old manual steering.
But some customers that took their crossovers to be fixed are still experiencing cases of power steering loss. Back then, dealerships inspected the power steering control module. If replacing the torque sensor or updating the module’s software wasn’t enough, mechanics would also swap the entire steering column.
Apparently, a petitioner claimed to the National Highway Traffic Administration the following bit of intel: "the software update itself may in fact cause further issues with the affected vehicle's power steering, causing it to fail, and ultimately requiring replacement of the torque sensor or entire steering column."
Because of this, Ford is yet again investigated by the NHTSA over the issue.
You know, that tiny gizmo fitted in the steering column. In the Escape and Mariner’s case, the contraption suffered from a glitch that, in worst case scenarios, could’ve lead to sudden power steering failure. For the more experienced driver, this scenario isn’t a biggie because you’re still left with good old manual steering.
But some customers that took their crossovers to be fixed are still experiencing cases of power steering loss. Back then, dealerships inspected the power steering control module. If replacing the torque sensor or updating the module’s software wasn’t enough, mechanics would also swap the entire steering column.
Apparently, a petitioner claimed to the National Highway Traffic Administration the following bit of intel: "the software update itself may in fact cause further issues with the affected vehicle's power steering, causing it to fail, and ultimately requiring replacement of the torque sensor or entire steering column."
Because of this, Ford is yet again investigated by the NHTSA over the issue.
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